Kidney Cancer Center
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Each year, more than 28,000 people in the United States learn that they have kidney cancer. Several types of cancer can develop in the kidney. Renal cell cancer is the most common form of kidney cancer in adults. Transitional cell cancer (carcinoma), which affects the renal pelvis, is a less common form of kidney cancer. It is similar to cancer that occurs in the bladder and is often treated like bladder cancer.
As kidney cancer grows, it may invade organs near the kidney, such as the liver, colon, or pancreas. Kidney cancer cells may also break away from the original tumor and spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body. When kidney cancer spreads, cancer cells may appear in the lymph nodes. For this reason, lymph nodes near the kidney may be removed during surgery. If a pathologist finds cancer cells in your lymph nodes, it may mean that the disease has spread to other parts of the body. Kidney cancer may spread and form new tumors, most often in the bones or lungs. The new tumors have the same kind of abnormal cells and the same name as the original (primary) tumor in the kidney. For example, if kidney cancer spreads to the lungs, the cancer cells in the lungs are kidney cancer cells. The disease is metastatic kidney cancer; it is not lung cancer.
At Cancer Treatment Centers of America, we use many tools to help you fight kidney cancer on all fronts. A powerful combination of traditional and new, innovative therapies are provided by cancer experts who work with you to determine the appropriate combination of therapies, which may include:
- Surgery is often used to treat kidney cancer whenever practical. Surgery may help prevent future complications, such as blockage or bleeding.
- Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) for the most advanced form of conformal radiotherapy. IMRT employs a powerful, advanced computer program that plans a precise dose of radiation in three dimensions based on individual tumor size, shape and location. Remarkably, it allows for higher radiation doses than traditional radiotherapy methods, while sparing more of the surrounding healthy tissue.
- Fractionated Dose Chemotherapy divides a powerful dose of drugs into smaller doses, given over several days. This approach exposes cancer cells to the drugs for a longer period of time, while also seeking to reduce the unpleasant side effects often experienced with larger doses.
- Biotherapy / Immunotherapy is a treatment that is sometimes used for kidney cancer. Immunotherapy causes the body's own natural defenses (immune system) to attack the cancer.
In addition the therapies described above, CTCA enriches your treatment by offering complementary and alternative therapies such as naturopathic medicine, nutritional therapy, mind-body medicine, image enhancement and spiritual support. CTCA is with you every step of the way in what truly is the fight of your life.
